The concept of the “living building” – as an inquiry of ideas, delving deeper into its meanings, how it may be achieved – that’s the subject of a beautiful essay written by Sandy Wiggins, immediate past chair of the U.S. Green Building Council and founder and principal of the consulting firm Consilience. His “Of Living Buildings” appeared recently in AIA CoteNotes and begins:
“Moss and grass. Two plant species, simple, and just a stone's throw from one another. Here is where this story begins. Or perhaps one should say here is where this story "lives." Beginning implies a start, and the reality is quite different. This is more like a chapter in a book, or, better yet, the opening of a flower, coddled in sun, seed, and water and nurtured through the mysterious processes of photosynthesis and evolution. It is part of a whole, a history with threads that, if one had the patience and imagination, could be traced through eons of chromosomes, climate, wind, and dirt. The opening of a flower is an event, though not a discrete one. The story extends backward and forward along that convention we call time, from the dawn of creation to some distant, unrevealed, and hopeful destiny.”
Mockley Point/Piscataway Creek
Does it run on sunlight?
Does it bank on diversity?
Does it recycle everything?
Does it reward cooperation?
Does it curb excess by design?
Does it tap the power of limits?
Does it change with the time of day and seasons?
Does it connect to, rather than disrupt the web of life?
Does it embrace the four ancient elements?
Does it patina rather than degrade?
Is it able to adapt and evolve?
Is it Beautiful?”
Sandy presented this as a paper at the Living Future Conference in Vancouver, BC last April. Read the full text “Of Living Buildings” here.
